The Altar of Ardor
In the Holy Talfein Empire, religion plays a huge part in the running of the country as well as the culture and people that populate it. The Talfein believe in the deity, Ardor (also known as the Divine One) and his teachings and doctrines. In the later peroids of the Empire, religion was largely exploited as a means of controlling an unruly populace. "Through Ardor's teachings and guidance, the people find solace and direction. It is with a sense of communion and the promise of utopia that gave the lost children of the world purpose. The regulators of these teachings and doctrines came in the form of the High Order, who were chosen by the divine one himself to act out the will of Ardor and extend his blessings throughout the realm." - Anonymous Talfein Scholar The Altar of Ardor The act of following the Talfein religion, which is known as the Altar of Ardor, is a lifetime of devotion and servitude to the Talfein High Order, who are the ones that preach and prophesize the word of the Divine One - achieved through a number of oracles known as Conduits. Books were produced and shipped all over the empire containing the holy commandments of Ardor as well as some of the earliest literature, which goes into detail about Ardor's Exaltation and time when he created the first Talfein man, Ysuran. The Holy Commandments There are typically five commandments in the Cyres Published tome. But there can be more or less depending on the publisher. High Order published tomes often depict a more direct and extreme approach on the commandments and many of the stories and literature. 1.) "Of the blood, of the cause" - This rule applies to all pure blood Talfein people, it basically says that if a man shares the blood of Ardor and his creation, then he must swear allegiance to the cause - in most scenarios, the cause is the will of the Talfein High Order. 2.) "Wise father, wise son" - This rule preaches that Ardor created the world and all the people in it, so now that the people are in a position to govern and shepherd the world, they should continue to "create" people. 3.) "Servitude in life, utopia in afterlife" - This rule assures that if the follower of the Altar of Ardor is an ardent and devoted follower, then in the afterlife, they will go to a utopia where their soul will be forever in a world of peace. 4.) "Live not in sin, live for the ideals" - This rule encourages the follower not to disobey, rebel against or break any of the other existing institutional laws. They are encouraged to live under the guidance of Ardor and follow the teachings in the tome and the word of the High Order. 5.) "Enlighten the way to sanctuary" - This rule teaches followers of the Altar of Ardor to spread the word and beliefs of their religion to wherever there may be an absence. Enlighten others so that they may serve and be rewarded for it in the afterlife. The Talfein Crusades Religion served as a crucial component in the Talfein Empire's war machine during the crusade of the land of Ardora - which was an event known as the Great Requisition 1119 RTE. The Empire made use of the Altar of Ardor when they annexed the majority of the land of Ardora to the Talfein Empire homeland, it took many years to accomplish, but the Empire had taken control of the land in less time than they had predicted, this was said to have been because of the heavy religious influence throughout the continent, many people from other nations didn’t just see the Talfein as violent crusaders, but as a salvation to their hardships, the High Order could provide a stable and prosperous governing rule, and present well-paid jobs to the local people, who before had just been struggling to survive. The religious benefits and promises also served to be a massive factor in controlling the other nations. The people were encouraged to live a sin-free lifestyle with the promise of utopia in the afterlife.